Energy in Ecosystems Flow of Energy through Food

Energy in Ecosystems Flow of Energy through Food Chains

Essential Questions • What is a Food Chain? • What is a Food Web? • What are the Roles of Producers, Consumers, & Decomposers?

Ecosystems • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=c. Wh. XKhh 8 xo

What is a Food Chain • Food Chain- a feeding hierarchy used to illustrate how ENERGY is passed in an ecosystem • Food Chains consist of 4 key things through which ENERGY will TRANSFER • • Sunlight Producers Consumers Decomposers • http: //www. youtube. com/ watch? v=pas. B 5 Fxh. VUk • What's wrong with this video? ?

What is a Food Web • Food Web- Multiple food chains that depend on each other for survival

Producers • The Role of a Producer in an Ecosystem MAKE THEIR OWN FOOD • Plants & Algae are the only thing in an Ecosystem that are considered producers • They make their food through Photosynthesis

Consumers • The Role of a Consumer is to pass on ENERGY through eating a producer or another consumer • There are 3 types of consumers in an Ecosystem which all require Energy ① Herbivores (Eat Plants) ② Carnivores (Eat Meat/Animals) ③ Omnivores (Eat Plants & Meat)

Decomposers • Decomposers are organisms that break down material after it has died • The Role of a decomposer is to break down either dead plant or dead animal material & put NITROGEN back into the soil • There are 3 common decomposers ① Fungi ② Bacteria ③ Insects

Essential Questions • Get with a partner and answer…. . • What is a Food Chain? • What is a Food Web? • What are the Roles of Producers, Consumers, & Decomposers?

Flow of Energy in a Food Chain • The flow of energy in a food chain goes… ① Sun ② Producer (plant) ③ Consumer ④ Decomposer The rule of 10

Sunlight Provides 1 st Energy • All energy comes from the sun either directly or indirectly • Energy comes from the sun directly to plants as they use the sunlight in photosynthesis • Energy comes from the sun indirectly to animals through eating plants (that got their energy from the sun) or other animals

Sunlight • Sunlight energy shines on plants which triggers photosynthesis • This is the first way in which energy is transferred in an ecosystem • Suns energy has FLOWED to the plant • Plants are PRODUCERS because they produce their own food from the sun’s energy Plants or Algae

Photosynthesis • Plants food making process • Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction where ENERGY from light (sun) is changed to CHEMICAL ENERGY which plants can use • The converted chemical energy is turned into sugar which is called glucose

Plant • A plant transfers energy to an animal when the animal EATS the plant • The sugars (glucose) that the plant made during photosynthesis are transferred to the plant eating animal • The plant’s ENERGY has FLOWED to the animal • This plant eating animal is the PRIMARY CONSUMER because it ate (consumed) the plant Animal

Animal • An animal can transfer ENERGY to another animal if one animal EATS another animal • The animals ENERGY has FLOWED from one animal to another • The animal that ate the other animal is called the SECONDARY CONSUMER because the first animal ate the plant Animal • http: //www. youtube. com/ watch? v=4 h 9 re 1 b. Ht 40

Animal • When the animal dies it is EATEN by a DECOMPOSER • The animal’s ENERGY FLOWS to the decomposer Decomposer

Decomposer • The Decomposer does get ENERGY from the dead animal • More importantly though it GIVES BACK NITROGEN to the soil through RECYCLING • This makes the soil more FERTILE so plants can grow • Now the Energy in Ecosystem cycle can start over Soil

Terrestrial Food Chains/Food Webs • All this means is that this is a food chain or food web of plants & animals that LIVE ON LAND

Aquatic Food Chains/Food Webs • Aquatic Food Chain/Food Web • All this means is that this is a food chain or food web of plants & animals that LIVE IN WATER

Food Chain Song • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=i. Wf. En 8 J 5 x. KM

Ecosystem • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=b. W 7 Pl. Taa wf. Q

EOG Questions • Which best summarizes the order of energy flow in the good chain? • A) sun to decomposers to producers to consumers • B) sun to consumers to decomposers to producers • C) sun to producers to consumers to decomposers • D) sun to producers to decomposers to consumers

Important Points • Food Chains/Food Webs transfer ENERGY through an ECOSYSTEM • All energy comes from the SUN • TERRESTRIAL (land) AQUATIC (water) • The energy is transferred from ① ② ③ ④ Sunlight Producer (plants or Algae) Consumer Decomposer • Producers- plants or Algae that MAKE THEIR OWN FOOD through PHOTOSYNTHESIS • Consumers- get & transfer their energy from eating producers or other consumers ① Herbivore ② Carnivore ③ Omnivore • Decomposers- break down dead plants and animals and put back NITROGEN into the soil through RECYCLING